Tag: lobster tails

For families all across the country, the traditional Christmas Eve dinner is celebrated with lobster as either the main course or a first course. This year, for many chefs, baked stuffed lobster tails will take center stage.

Here is a traditional baked stuffed lobster tail recipe, courtesy of Chef Christopher Russel of Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Russell is a former Maine Lobster Council Chef of the Year.

Plan on one 1-1/2 pound-lobster per person, or if convenience dictates, fresh or frozen lobster tails may be purchased instead of whole live lobster.

DIRECTIONS:

Boil salted water in a large kettle or pot. Cook the whole lobsters for 5 minutes. Remove lobsters and place in an ice water tub to cool. Crack and pick the meat from the claws, knuckles and body. Chop lobster meat into bite-sized pieces. Set aside. Split the tails lengthwise down the center with a sharp knife, being sure to keep the shell-side of the lobsters facing up. Make sure to keep the shells intact. Remove the tail meat from the shell and remove the intestinal track from the meat. Then carefully insert the whole tail meat back into the shell.

For the stuffing, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion. Sauté until soft. Stir in the parsley, Old Bay seasoning and lemon juice. Remove the skillet from heat and let cool. Stir in the chopped lobster claw and knuckle meat. Gently add in the cracker crumbs and stir. Using a spoon, add the the stuffing into the lobster tails. Refrigerate the lobster tails until ready to bake. When ready, preheat the oven to 425-degrees . Bake the tails until the stuffing is golden and crisp, about 15 – 20 minutes. Serve immediately with wedges of lemon and let the dinner party begin!

NUTRITIONAL:

Per serving:

658 calories

46 grams protein

37 grams carbohydrates

36 grams fat

1196 mg. sodium

2 grams fiber

* Instead of whole lobster, the dish may also be prepared with frozen Maine lobster tails. Boil water and just blanch the tails and carefully remove the meat, leaving the shell intact. Substitute 16 ounces of raw Maine crab meat or shrimp instead of the lobster knuckle and claw meat. Sauté the crab meat or shrimp with the onion and finish preparing the stuffing and the lobster tails as directed.5

Broiled fresh Maine lobster tails with clarified butter for Mother’s Day is an affordable and easy meal to prepare and can go a long way toward making this Mother’s Day celebration a really special occasion. And the good news is that even if you have never tried before, broiled Maine lobster tails are so easy to prepare at home it is almost impossible to mess up.

Sometimes Smaller is Better

When broiling lobster tails for the first time, please note size does matter … a smaller tail (4 oz.) can be the way to go. Larger tails take longer to cook and care must be taken not to overcook or the large tail can become tough. Broiling smaller tails is much more forgiving. Smaller tails are also a bargain and can usually be bought and delivered for less than $10 a tail. Compare to the cost of a whole lobster at $20 to $30 or more.

Broiled Maine Lobster Tail with Clarified Butter

The concept behind the broiled lobster tail with clarified butter is that the lobster can be the star of the meal or it be combined with a filet or other steak to make a surf and turf dinner. The choice is up to the chef.

Clarified Butter

The Clarified lemon butter is the key to making this lobster-tail dish absolutely delicious. It’s well worth the additional work so don’t cut any preparation corners here.

Preparation
1. Cut the top of each shell all the way down the center with kitchen shears. Stop cutting just before the fan tail. Insert fingers gently into the shell incision to loosen the meat. Gently pull the meat and fan it on top of the shell. Set tails aside.

2. Cut and squeeze lemon juice into a bowl.

3. Place butter into a medium sauce pan. Heat over medium-high heat until the butter begins to turn white and foam. The milk solids will begin floating to the top. With medium sized spoon, skim off the milk solids and discard. Repeat the skimming until there are no more milk solids. Stir in lemon juice and add ground black pepper. Lower the heat to keep butter mixture warm.

4. Baste the lobster tails with the warm, clarified lemon-butter mixture. Place the remaining butter in ramekins.

5. Preheat broiler oven. If using a temperature gauge, broiler should be pre-heated to about 425 degrees.

4. Place lobster tails on broiler pan and adjust pan so the tails are about 6-9 inches away from the broiler flame. Broil for 3-4 minutes (longer if using larger tails). Keep a close watch and take care not to overcook. The lobster tails are done when the shell turns bright red and the meat has turned an opaque white.